|
|
Kumar, who is now 32, finally
got a second chance at life when he was discovered
by Elizabeth Clayton, a native New Zealander and
president of the Suva Rotary Club. |
A man in Suva, Fiji, is being taught
to act human after being raised as a chicken.
Sunjit Kumar was locked in a chicken
coop for several years as a young boy, after his parents
died and he was handed over to his grandfather.
He had little contact with humans during
that time and picked up the habits of the birds.
Kumar escaped from the chicken coop
and was taken to a local hospital. But the staff did
not know how to treat him, so they confined him. He
spent 20 years there, often tied to his bed.
Kumar, who is now 32, finally got a
second chance at life when he was discovered by Elizabeth
Clayton, a native New Zealander and president of the
Suva Rotary Club.
Clayton said doctors examined Sunjit
and found no mental defects. Professionals agreed that
his condition was the result of years of neglect and
abuse.
"He had imitated or imprinted with
the chicken," Clayton said. "He was perching,
he was picking at his food, he was hopping around like
a chicken. He'd keep his hands in a chickenlike fashion,
and he'd make a noise, which was like the calling of
a chicken, which he still has."
Clayton took over Kumar's care and he
has reportedly made "remarkable progress,"
learning to walk and speak like a human. |